Latest Updates

Telegram owner Durov says French, Moldovan governments asked him to block anti-government accounts ahead of elections

The owner of the Telegram messaging service Pavel Durov said that the French intelligence approached him earlier this year and asked him to block anti-government channels in the run up to this weekend's elections on two occasions.

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LATAM BLOG: Friends till the end? Trump's costly loyalty to Latin America's strongmen

Trump bails out Argentina with $20bn while slapping 50% tariffs on Brazil to protest Bolsonaro's coup conviction. His ideology-driven policy risks pushing both nations toward China—exactly what Washington hoped to prevent.

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COMMENT: Thailand’s baht appreciation a symptom of underlying malaise

Economic fundamentals in Thailand hardly justify a stronger currency. Growth has been tepid, inflation low, and interest rates insufficiently active to pull in speculative capital both at home and from overseas.

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China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran push back on Trump ambitions in or near Afghanistan

Trump’s administration has been exploring options for keeping a military footprint in Afghanistan - a move that Russia has already said would have catasrophic consequences.

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BEYOND THE BOSPORUS: Spymaster tells Istanbul audience MI6 forged relationship with Syria’s HTS in 2023

Over in New York, country’s president, ex-Al Qaeda man al-Sharaa, is interviewed on-stage by a former CIA chief.

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Emerging market Tiger Cities power global growth prospects

Cities across the developing world are set to be among the fastest-growing urban economies in the next quarter century, according to Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025.

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EU’s influence declines in its neighbourhood as China and Russia gain ground

Chinese presence growing in Western Balkans, while Russia makes gains in Turkey, shows new index developed by wiiw, Bertelsmann Stiftung and ECIPE.

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European diplomats warn Kremlin that Nato is prepared to shoot planes over its airspace

European diplomats warned the Kremlin that Nato is prepared to shoot down any Russian fighter jets that violate their airspace, as military tensions between the EU and Russia continue to mount.

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Armenia’s Pashinyan sets out EU membership goal in UN speech

Croatian PM angrily rejects Hungarian accusations of war profiteering

Germany preparing to enter direct negotiations with Afghanistan’s Taliban government

Armenia’s Pashinyan sets out EU membership goal in UN speech

Armenia now the most Western-leaning of the three South Caucasus states as region's geopolitical balance shifts.

Croatian PM angrily rejects Hungarian accusations of war profiteering

"We're the good guy," says Andrej Plenkovic after Hungarian foreign minister claims Zagreb is profiting from disruptions in Russian supplies.

Germany preparing to enter direct negotiations with Afghanistan’s Taliban government

It has also been speculated that Germany might be readying to accept a liaison presence on the part of the Afghan government, that stops short of full recognition.

News

McEwen Copper's $2.7bn Los Azules project wins Argentina approval

Argentina approves McEwen Copper's Los Azules project for RIGI tax incentives, positioning the country to re-enter copper production by 2029 as global supply deficits emerge and demand soars for the critical metal.

Slovakia adopts PM Fico’s amendments enshrining two genders in constitution

The constitutional changes, which include limiting who can adopt children, may put Slovakia at odds with EU norms on equality.

Netanyahu defies international pressure with combative UN address on Gaza

Netanyahu vows to continue Gaza operations as diplomats stage mass walkout during his appearance at the UN.

Iranian rial hits record low against US dollar

Iranian rial hits record low of IRR1,085,000 to the US dollar as currency crisis deepens amid international sanctions and economic pressures, severely impacting purchasing power for 85mn Iranians.

Trump vows to block West Bank annexation as Israel orders Gaza loudspeaker broadcasts

Trump blocks Israeli West Bank annexation saying "time to stop" as Israel prepares loudspeakers to broadcast Netanyahu's UN speech to Gaza residents from border positions.

McEwen Copper's $2.7bn Los Azules project wins Argentina approval

1 day ago

Slovakia adopts PM Fico’s amendments enshrining two genders in constitution

2 days ago

Netanyahu defies international pressure with combative UN address on Gaza

2 days ago

Iranian rial hits record low against US dollar

2 days ago

Trump vows to block West Bank annexation as Israel orders Gaza loudspeaker broadcasts

2 days ago

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Tech

RuNet grows 40% in 2024 to $250bn, driven by e-commerce and AI

The RuNet economy expanded by 40% in 2024, reaching RUB24.03 trillion, with e-commerce accounting for more than 91% of the total, according to a study by the Russian Association of Electronic Communications.

Can PayPal’s $100mn Middle East and Africa push challenge local fintechs, mobile money leaders?

In much of the MEA region, local fintechs and mobile money providers dominate consumer payments, often outpacing global players such as PayPal.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan deemed twin hotbeds of innovation – global survey

The two states drive Central and South Asia’s rise in a global ranking.

Iran's Digikala co-founder invests $857,000 in Didar CRM

Iranian CRM provider Didar secures funding from Digikala co-founder Hamid Mohammadi, targeting Tehran Stock Exchange listing and regional expansion beyond its 3,000 SME clients.

Russian AI accelerates but sanctions leave it trailing global leaders

Russia’s artificial intelligence industry is expanding rapidly but remains hobbled by limited access to advanced computing power due to Western technology sanctions.

RuNet grows 40% in 2024 to $250bn, driven by e-commerce and AI

2 days ago

Can PayPal’s $100mn Middle East and Africa push challenge local fintechs, mobile money leaders?

3 days ago

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan deemed twin hotbeds of innovation – global survey

4 days ago

Iran's Digikala co-founder invests $857,000 in Didar CRM

5 days ago

Russian AI accelerates but sanctions leave it trailing global leaders

5 days ago

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Opinion

BERTRAND: The return of geopolitical gravity

Four extraordinary events happened last week within the span of just 72 hours; a week which may well be remembered as one of the most consequential in the transition from Pax Americana to the multipolar world.

COMMENT: Trump is preparing a “back door” plan to blame EU for Ukraine’s failure - FT

European officials fear that US President Donald Trump’s dramatic U-turn on Ukraine is a back door plan to shift responsibility for the West’s failure to prevent Ukraine’s defeat in its war with Russia or help it recover afterwards.

COMMENT: Today world will watch as Trump meets Erdogan and does not mention his dismantling of Turkey’s democracy

As an analyst warns of a “near police state”, the president’s rival pleads from his jail cell for democrats everywhere to take an interest.

COMMENT: Uncertainty and geopolitics plague Russia’s negotiations with China on gas supply deals

China is now the only potential buyer of Russian Arctic gas and the only customer with the capacity to absorb significant amounts of gas from the Yamal Peninsula, home to some of the country’s largest reserves.

COMMENT: Ukraine has no choice but to escalate its refinery attacks

Vladimir Putin's meeting with Trump in Anchorage backfired. The Russian president is now confident that military escalation will not lead to a significant increase in US military aid to Ukraine, much less intervention.

BERTRAND: The return of geopolitical gravity

2 days ago

COMMENT: Trump is preparing a “back door” plan to blame EU for Ukraine’s failure - FT

3 days ago

COMMENT: Today world will watch as Trump meets Erdogan and does not mention his dismantling of Turkey’s democracy

3 days ago

COMMENT: Uncertainty and geopolitics plague Russia’s negotiations with China on gas supply deals

5 days ago

COMMENT: Ukraine has no choice but to escalate its refinery attacks

5 days ago

More Opinion

Data

Kosovo Business Alliance warns diaspora investments locked in non-productive real estate

Business representatives say €9bn real estate investments are “dead capital” that generate neither jobs nor economic growth.

EBRD cuts Ukraine’s 2025 growth forecast to 2.5% amid war uncertainty

Ukraine’s economy is projected to expand by 2.5% in 2025, down from a previously forecast 3.3%, as the ongoing war with Russia weighs on investment and trade, the EBRD said.

Russia draft 2026 budget cuts military spending for the first time, introduces new taxes

Russia’s Ministry of Finance presented the 2026-2028 budget that keeps spending flat, introduces new taxes to fund a ballooning budget deficit and cuts military spending for the first time in three years.

Russian banks’ August profits halve on higher reserves and weaker interest income

Russian banks posted sharply lower monthly profits in August as higher loan-loss provisions and weaker interest income weighed on earnings, the Central Bank of Russia said.

Japan’s Nikkei hits record high as LDP leadership race starts

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index closed at a historic high on September 22, supported by expectations of economic stimulus as the contest for leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party formally got underway.

Kosovo Business Alliance warns diaspora investments locked in non-productive real estate

2 days ago

EBRD cuts Ukraine’s 2025 growth forecast to 2.5% amid war uncertainty

3 days ago

Russia draft 2026 budget cuts military spending for the first time, introduces new taxes

3 days ago

Russian banks’ August profits halve on higher reserves and weaker interest income

4 days ago

Japan’s Nikkei hits record high as LDP leadership race starts

5 days ago

More Data

Features

Hungary's Fidesz on the defensive after paedophile allegations against high-level government officials

Claims senior politicians could have shielded the director of Budapest-based juvenile correctional institution Szolo Street have the potential to become a "Hungarian Epstein case".

Skull discovered in China may – or may not – rewrite human history

Questions are already being raised, with China having made at least half a dozen claims in recent years on much more recent historical issues that have little to no archaeological evidence to back them.

Indonesia pushes two-state solution, possible recognition of Israel at the UN

Addressing the High-Level Conference on Palestine and the Two-State Solution in New York, the Indonesian president delivered a stark condemnation of the violence in Gaza, framing Israel’s military campaign as genocidal.

Young Moldovans face uncertain future as pivotal election approaches

With a razor-thin margin between pro-EU PAS and pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc, voters expect Moldova's general election to be a battle for the country’s future.

Poland building a drone wall to protect Europe

Poland will lead an effort to build a “drone wall” to block Europe’s airspace to swarms of Russian UAVs should a pan-regional war ever break out.

Hungary's Fidesz on the defensive after paedophile allegations against high-level government officials

2 days ago

Skull discovered in China may – or may not – rewrite human history

2 days ago

Indonesia pushes two-state solution, possible recognition of Israel at the UN

2 days ago

Young Moldovans face uncertain future as pivotal election approaches

3 days ago

Poland building a drone wall to protect Europe

3 days ago

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Blogs

ISTANBUL BLOG: Back of the net. Giant-killing as “rich kid” Ali Koc defeated by fox in the box Saran

Billionaire loses presidency of “Big four” club Fenerbahce. Unpopular figure subjected to language you wouldn’t even hear on a building site.

ISTANBUL BLOG: British lord tells complaining Brits to visit Turkish airport to taste real cost-of-living crisis

Turks hit back with a storm of “patriotic” response.

The rise of the Southern Consensus

It’s increasingly looking like a clash of civilisations, isn’t it? In the last 24 hours there was yet another Global South summit where the collective leaders of the world’s biggest countries gathered to show unity in the face of US aggression.

KYIV BLOG: Brexit on steroids

The coalition of the willing Paris summit on September 4 ended in disaster. The European team has been working really hard for several weeks to thrash out a plan to save Ukraine and came together in Paris.

BALKAN BLOG: A Bosnian statelet in denial

Milorad Dodik has been stripped of his role as president of Bosnia's Republika Srpska but he is continuing to operate as if still in power.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Back of the net. Giant-killing as “rich kid” Ali Koc defeated by fox in the box Saran

1 day ago

ISTANBUL BLOG: British lord tells complaining Brits to visit Turkish airport to taste real cost-of-living crisis

16 days ago

The rise of the Southern Consensus

19 days ago

KYIV BLOG: Brexit on steroids

23 days ago

BALKAN BLOG: A Bosnian statelet in denial

26 days ago

More Blogs

bneGREEN

China deploys new power pricing regime to balance clean energy mix

Introduced in June, the framework abandons the uniform tariffs that once rewarded all renewable generation equally, regardless of local demand or grid capacity.

China sets first binding target to cut emissions

China has announced its first economy-wide commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, pledging a cut of between 7 and 10% by as soon as 2035.

Outcry in the Philippines over flood-control corruption as Super Typhoon Ragasa sweeps through

The series of protests showed one of the largest alliances against graft in recent times. From bishops and senators to farmers, urban poor residents and hobby cyclists, participants expressed impatience with scandals draining public resources.

Global Alliance commits $7.5bn to clean energy in developing world

Analysts have repeatedly warned that clean energy investment in developing economies such as Afghanistan, but excluding China, remains dangerously below levels required to meet international climate objectives.

Albania launches nationwide cleanup of abandoned car graveyards

Albania has one of Europe's oldest car fleets, and a waste management sector that lags behind those of EU members and other Western Balkan countries.

China deploys new power pricing regime to balance clean energy mix

3 days ago

China sets first binding target to cut emissions

3 days ago

Outcry in the Philippines over flood-control corruption as Super Typhoon Ragasa sweeps through

4 days ago

Global Alliance commits $7.5bn to clean energy in developing world

5 days ago

Albania launches nationwide cleanup of abandoned car graveyards

6 days ago

More bneGREEN

Latest Updates

News

Argentina approves McEwen Copper's Los Azules project for RIGI tax incentives, positioning the country to re-enter copper production by 2029 as global supply deficits emerge and demand soars for the critical metal.

The constitutional changes, which include limiting who can adopt children, may put Slovakia at odds with EU norms on equality.

Netanyahu vows to continue Gaza operations as diplomats stage mass walkout during his appearance at the UN.

Iranian rial hits record low of IRR1,085,000 to the US dollar as currency crisis deepens amid international sanctions and economic pressures, severely impacting purchasing power for 85mn Iranians.

Trump blocks Israeli West Bank annexation saying "time to stop" as Israel prepares loudspeakers to broadcast Netanyahu's UN speech to Gaza residents from border positions.

Tech

The RuNet economy expanded by 40% in 2024, reaching RUB24.03 trillion, with e-commerce accounting for more than 91% of the total, according to a study by the Russian Association of Electronic Communications.

In much of the MEA region, local fintechs and mobile money providers dominate consumer payments, often outpacing global players such as PayPal.

The two states drive Central and South Asia’s rise in a global ranking.

Iranian CRM provider Didar secures funding from Digikala co-founder Hamid Mohammadi, targeting Tehran Stock Exchange listing and regional expansion beyond its 3,000 SME clients.

Russia’s artificial intelligence industry is expanding rapidly but remains hobbled by limited access to advanced computing power due to Western technology sanctions.

Opinion

Four extraordinary events happened last week within the span of just 72 hours; a week which may well be remembered as one of the most consequential in the transition from Pax Americana to the multipolar world.

European officials fear that US President Donald Trump’s dramatic U-turn on Ukraine is a back door plan to shift responsibility for the West’s failure to prevent Ukraine’s defeat in its war with Russia or help it recover afterwards.

As an analyst warns of a “near police state”, the president’s rival pleads from his jail cell for democrats everywhere to take an interest.

China is now the only potential buyer of Russian Arctic gas and the only customer with the capacity to absorb significant amounts of gas from the Yamal Peninsula, home to some of the country’s largest reserves.

Vladimir Putin's meeting with Trump in Anchorage backfired. The Russian president is now confident that military escalation will not lead to a significant increase in US military aid to Ukraine, much less intervention.

Data

Business representatives say €9bn real estate investments are “dead capital” that generate neither jobs nor economic growth.

Ukraine’s economy is projected to expand by 2.5% in 2025, down from a previously forecast 3.3%, as the ongoing war with Russia weighs on investment and trade, the EBRD said.

Russia’s Ministry of Finance presented the 2026-2028 budget that keeps spending flat, introduces new taxes to fund a ballooning budget deficit and cuts military spending for the first time in three years.

Russian banks posted sharply lower monthly profits in August as higher loan-loss provisions and weaker interest income weighed on earnings, the Central Bank of Russia said.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei index closed at a historic high on September 22, supported by expectations of economic stimulus as the contest for leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party formally got underway.

Features

Claims senior politicians could have shielded the director of Budapest-based juvenile correctional institution Szolo Street have the potential to become a "Hungarian Epstein case".

Questions are already being raised, with China having made at least half a dozen claims in recent years on much more recent historical issues that have little to no archaeological evidence to back them.

Addressing the High-Level Conference on Palestine and the Two-State Solution in New York, the Indonesian president delivered a stark condemnation of the violence in Gaza, framing Israel’s military campaign as genocidal.

With a razor-thin margin between pro-EU PAS and pro-Russian Patriotic Bloc, voters expect Moldova's general election to be a battle for the country’s future.

Poland will lead an effort to build a “drone wall” to block Europe’s airspace to swarms of Russian UAVs should a pan-regional war ever break out.

Blogs

Billionaire loses presidency of “Big four” club Fenerbahce. Unpopular figure subjected to language you wouldn’t even hear on a building site.

Turks hit back with a storm of “patriotic” response.

It’s increasingly looking like a clash of civilisations, isn’t it? In the last 24 hours there was yet another Global South summit where the collective leaders of the world’s biggest countries gathered to show unity in the face of US aggression.

The coalition of the willing Paris summit on September 4 ended in disaster. The European team has been working really hard for several weeks to thrash out a plan to save Ukraine and came together in Paris.

Milorad Dodik has been stripped of his role as president of Bosnia's Republika Srpska but he is continuing to operate as if still in power.

bneGREEN

Introduced in June, the framework abandons the uniform tariffs that once rewarded all renewable generation equally, regardless of local demand or grid capacity.

China has announced its first economy-wide commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, pledging a cut of between 7 and 10% by as soon as 2035.

The series of protests showed one of the largest alliances against graft in recent times. From bishops and senators to farmers, urban poor residents and hobby cyclists, participants expressed impatience with scandals draining public resources.

Analysts have repeatedly warned that clean energy investment in developing economies such as Afghanistan, but excluding China, remains dangerously below levels required to meet international climate objectives.

Albania has one of Europe's oldest car fleets, and a waste management sector that lags behind those of EU members and other Western Balkan countries.

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Nato General Secretary Mark Rutte warned that the West needs to prepare of the possibility that Chinese President Xi Jinping will ....

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